Booklet Typos and Other Imperfections

Publishing has endless stories about typos, errors, and a range of production outcomes that cause someone to go "oops" in various languages and decibels.

More often than not, it is far from being the end of the world, regardless of what the person reacting in that moment believes.

That doesn't mean this is about condoning sloppiness, errors, or casual approaches to producing a high quality publication. It's about getting your priorities in order, completing a product so it can serve the people you intend to serve with the information, and making course corrections when necessary.

The exact shade of a color on the cover - does that REALLY matter? A missing comma or certain typos, well, yes, they can sometimes change the meaning of something. That's true. And today, with search capabilities as strong and available as they are, even the truly dreaded typo in a phone number or email address or website URL can be overcome.

My booklet had a misspelled word in it for the first 50,000 copies that were sold. Yes, and 50,000 copies were sold!

Decide what your greatest priority is so you can get your booklet and other products to those who value your knowledge.

You will probably find it useful to see what other booklet authors have done over the years. Check out the Booklet Mystery Grab Bag to take a peek for yourself.

Until next time,
Paulette - who ultimately learned how to spell the word "discern" in her booklet
www.tipsbooklets.com
www.CollectionOfExperts.com

My Booklet is a Good Product - Why Isn't It Selling?

Whether you are selling single copies as an online booklet or hard copy, or are selling large quantities to companies and associations, sometimes your best web marketing promotion and direct sales approaches are not providing the results you want and your booklet isn't selling.

You put everything you have into creating a booklet. What gives??

Here's some of the most typical realities:

1. It takes time - for the brand to take hold and/or for the buyer to make the decision.
2. It takes multiple times of asking for the sale.
3. The buyer prefers a different kind of delivery of the content (i.e. audio vs. text).
4. The buyer doesn't like the cover design (i.e. your photo is on the cover, the color is orange, etc.)
5. The title doesn't say what the booklet really is.
6. The price is too high.
7. The price is too low.
8. The booklet is too long.
9. The booklet is too short.

... and on and on and on.

What the heck are you supposed to do? After all, you believe in your product and think you've got a winner.

One of the easiest things to do is to ask your market what it would take for them to invest in your product. You may be very surprised by what you learn. It could be something very simple or something you never would have considered in a million years. Regardless, ask them.

Until next time,
Paulette - often amazed by how big a deal the little things can turn out to be


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It's All About ...

...them, not you and not your tips booklet or any other format of your product. That includes when you're talking with a colleague about possible joint venturing, or to a large-quantity prospect at a company or association.

Someone who has known of my work for many years contacted me last Friday afternoon to invite me into a joint venture with her. The entire time we were on the phone, the person made it all about herself and her achievements. While I agree it's useful to have some background about a potential business partner, there was no give and take, no balance, no real interest in a conversation as much as it being a monologue. Then she followed up on Monday with an email in the same way. What WAS she thinking? Even if there had been any remote match here in what she was proposing, there was less than zero interest in my part in doing any business with her. It's too bad, too, since I think she probably has a good product.

It is and will always be about them - whoever it is you are contacting. It is about how your products and services improve the business of the person you are approaching. There are endless ways you can positively add to their business. Focus on that and see the improvement in your business as a result of it.

Until next time,
Paulette - still trying to shake off the "stuff" this woman left all over me

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Print Catalogs Still Deliver Sales - Booklets Do, Too

An article in the October 16 issue of the Wall Street Journal captured my interest as someone who has been in the booklet business since 1991. The article was titled "In Digital Era, Marketers Still Prefer a Paper Trail."

"So why does the catalog which helped Richard Sears launch his eponymous retail empire more than a centruey ago, continue to thrive in the electronic age? Because glossy catalog pages still entice buyers in a way that computer images don't. Catalogs, marketers say, drive sales at Web sites, making them more important than ever."

The article goes on to cite high sales statistics from paper catalogs, and talks about why mail-order catalogs will never go away.

There are two big points in mentioning this article to you:

1. You can find new ideas, reminders, and confirmation of your ideas for new business by reading newspapers, magazines, trade publications, Web sites, and your mail -- when you're open to seeing things through the filters of opportunity.

2. The mail-order catalog companies have used booklets to generate more business by offering a booklet (or other forms of information products) as a gift with purchase, usually for a certain dollar amount, or for any purchase in a particular issue of their catalog or for opening a new account, or in other ways. What catalogs are good matches for your topics?

Until next time,
Paulette - thinking back fondly on an excellent five-digit catalog licensing deal payment


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Tell the Truth About Your Booklet

What value do you put on your booklet?I'm not only talking about the price you charge, I'm talking about how valuable you think it is in the life of those who receive it. In fact, the price you charge is often a reflection of how valuable you think it is to the recipient.

This week I got yet another phone call from a person who has called or emailed me at least once a year for about five years, a person who has yet to produce a booklet. This week she wanted to know if my prices had changed. She said she had written about 20 booklets in recent years (currently as Word documents, I believe), and still didn't have the several hundred dollars to have one, much less all of them, professionally edited and professionally designed. When I told her to start with one of those booklets and get a product sheet created to pre-sell the others before getting them edited and designed, it fell on deaf ears. I am sure of it from what I heard in her reply.

Now I am certain this person has had the several hundred dollars in question at various points in the past five years, as she told me about conferences she's attended and professional associations she's joined. What she hasn't had has been the courage or the commitment to move forward with her booklet.

She's been dishonest to herself with her story. The truth is that she's scared. She doesn't believe her booklets are valuable enough to bring the thousands and thousands of dollars they are likely to bring her once she starts talking to people who need and want what she's got. I'm not saying there is ever a guarantee in sales, because there isn't. What I am saying, though, is that this person is very unlikely to ever find out as she continues telling herself she doesn't have the several hundred dollars to move ahead.

What's your truth? What's your story? And, as Dr. Phil, the therapist on television is known to say, "How's that workin' for ya?"

Until next time,
Paulette - who loves most working with people who take action

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How to Talk to a Large-Quantity Booklet Buyer

"I've got something that will help your company/association make more money."

How would that grab your attention when someone starts a conversation with you that way? I'd probably at least let them get another sentence or two out, wouldn't you? It's all about the buyer and the buyer's needs/wants -- and it always will be.

It's about getting some idea of what may be helpful to them, and then verifying that with them. Yes, it can and is as simple as that. The size of the booklet, the length of it, the number of pages, the cover design, the number of ink colors on the cover are all much later in the conversation.

First it is and will always be about how your product can make your buyer's life more (revenue/profit), better (position out in the world), or different (from their competition). When you address the buyer's wants and/or needs, you start a relationship, one that can last for years.

Until next time,
Paulette - reflecting on the fact it's about them not you/me

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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Instant Booklet Success and Other Fictional Stories

Years ago when money was really tight (no, I mean REALLY tight), I remember a business advisor saying "it's only another couple months until people are back to business mode after the summer." Another couple months might as well have been centuries away at that point for me. It's not fun to be caught in a cash flow crunch. Been there, done that, don't like it, don't ever wanna do it again in this or any other lifetime.

That's why I truly understand when a booklet author who is "white knuckling" it expects fast results within a month from their web site, their social networking efforts, their bulk sales efforts, their traditional media efforts, and everything else they do to think a sprint will magically cure all ills. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. A sprint is the fastest route to burnout, frustration, and enhanced fear.

Yes, it is completely possible for some things to happen fast. The more likely thing is that it'll take time and focus. I know, that's not what you want to hear right now. I remember that part. However, keep reading.

I've seen several people become household names within a year or so. They came out of nowhere and utilized every promotional vehicle they could find, on a very consistent basis. They kept their name and their products out there, everywhere, no matter where or when you looked. I've personally done that over many more years, however, I can point to a handful of people who have done it within a year. They were relentless as they strategically made sure they became the "go-to person" for their area of expertise. My guess is that some happily unexpected gifts came their way during that building phase.

Now, can you make a large-quantity booklet sale within a few weeks? Yes, it is literally possible. Is it likely? The odds are slim, though definitely possible. If you are one of those folks who is losing sleep about where the money will come from for your immediate living needs, do everything in your power, starting today, to reach the people who have the biggest checks to write. If nothing else, that gives you some relief and lets you tread water as you lay groundwork for that long-term marathon I mentioned.

Until next time,
Paulette - remembering all too well what it was like being broke and isn't doing that again

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Booklets Are Always About People

When you write your booklet and when you offer it up for sale or free distribution, it can sometimes be easy to lose track of the fact that people are involved in all parts of the process. The content reflects your experiences in some part of your life as a human being. The production touches the lives of your service providers. And ultimately, the booklet is intended to improve the lives of those who receive your booklet, whether it's distributors first and end users second, or directly to the end user.

I've had several experiences in the past few days where the human side of the interaction got lost in the shuffle, and where it made a big difference in anything beyond that. The first one truly surprised me. I tried out the services of a new massage therapist who came highly recommended to me. I've experienced professional massage for over 25 years, on 2 coasts, and as you can imagine, a wide range of experiences. This person never asked me a thing about whether there was any part of my body that needed extra attention or that she should avoid or if I preferred a stronger or lighter touch. Nothing. The sad part was that her technique as a massage therapist was fine, at about 85-90%, in fact. I will not be going back to her though.
We never connected as people.

Today I got an email from someone who had attended a fee-based teleclass and was looking for the recording and transcript that hadn't arrived. The person didn't include their proper name, just an email address. Um, I deal with people.

There are other examples I could offer, though I'm sure you got the point. Remember that you are always dealing with people every step of your booklet journey.

Until next time,
Paulette - who is 100% human

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Booklets - What's Average?

The following email arrived this week. It echoes others of the past:

What is the average length of time for generating income with booklets and any clues as to what the average income is for someone writing and selling booklets? Should I be able to make 6 figures without pulling my hair out and working 60 hours a week?

Very simply, my reply:

There is no such thing as average, I assure you. I've had booklet author clients accomplish zero and others accomplish many zeros, in all kinds of time frames.

Until next time,
Paulette - who has yet to meet a person or situation that is "average"

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Booklet Sales - It's Been a Whole Week

Booklet authors never cease to amaze me. Sometimes it's "good" amazement and other times it's a complete groaner. This week brought one of the latter. Someone who took an in-person workshop I presented earlier this year emailed me to say her booklet was finished and she didn't realize how hard it would be to sell booklets. I continue reading the laundry list of places she sent the booklet, all of which seemed logical for her topic. And then the crowning glory of the email: "It's already been a whole week since I sent the letter and booklet, and I haven't sold anything yet."

Okay, now I know I've been in this business a long time. But really, did you expect to have results from corporate decision makers within a week? I couldn't help myself but to reply with "tell me what you've done after you've tried something that really didn't work."

A week? Sheesh. It's very likely the recipient hasn't even unearthed the envelope that contains the booklet yet in a week, much less thought about if it's something that fits a promo campaign or not and talked to everyone else who has to sign off on it for the purchase to happen. So folks, let's get some reality base here. While corporate sales are most definitely a reality, happen a lot, and can be very lucrative, they do take time. It can be weeks or months. A week? Verrrrry rare.

Until next time,
Paulette - wondering where I neglected to teach this part during that class and in my materials

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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Learn About Bits and Booklets from Costco

Because you are such a wealth of information, frequently the big challenge is deciding what to include in a tips booklet, whether it's one you're doing yourself, or a page of 5 tips in a Collection of Experts. After all, you've got all this stuff to share with the world, and want to give people the best of what you've got.

NEWS FLASH: The very best you can give your people is a small taste of what you have so they can digest that, feel great, and want more from you.

It's the Costco phenomenon. If you're unfamiliar with Costco, it's a large warehouse store where people pay an annual membership fee to be able to shop there for many different food and non-food products in bulk that often cost less than you'll find at other places. On Saturdays (and maybe other days of the week, too, I don't know), you can sample small bits of various foods Costco sells. It's all cut into small pieces, and each week it's a different range of products.

Why do they do this? So you'll literally get that taste in your mouth and want (to buy) more. Makes sense, doesn't it? After all, they sell thousands and thousands of items, yet they give small tastes of just a few each week. You can, too.

Give people a small taste of what you have so they will want more. It works for Costco and will work for you, too.

Until next time,
Paulette - who appreciates a business model that works

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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Important Tools for Booklet Authors

Depending on your personality style, you're drawn to particular methods of promotion and sales for your booklets. Email and the Internet have presented easy, endless, and economical possibilities to reach a broader audience of targeted decision makers. That's become so much the case that now the very "yesterday" approaches have turned into the more effective ways. Here's two cases in point, from among the many possibilities you can consider or re-consider:

* Telephone - when someone emails a question or comment to me about booklets, and their phone number or website address is in that email, my immediate reaction is to pick up the phone and call them. This has brought more sales and loyal followers than I can tell you. First, it shocks the living daylights out of them that I called, especially when the call was 2 seconds after they hit "send" on that email. The call personalizes the interaction and allows us to explore what it is that best suits their want at that time. Sales often happen, either immediately or sometime later.

* Face to Face
<> Workshops and seminars, either as an attendee or as a speaker, allow an interaction that's even better than telephone sometimes. People are there because of their interest in the event, which says something right away. And they paid something to be there, even if it was connected to the transportation.

<> Add food or drink into the mix and it makes the connection stronger. You also have the opportunity to show and tell with booklet samples in hand.

<>Formal in-person presentations to large quantity decision makers, without food or seminar involved are also warranted at times. You've probably done these, as have I. The conversation usually starts by phone or a face to face somewhere and moves on to the formal meeting.

<>And then there are the endless number of networking groups, which require great focus to accomplish the outcome you want.

While I love email and the Internet, and I'm likely to keep those as a mainstay of my marketing, it makes no sense to ignore the results that come and will always come from that more personalized one on one approach. Pick up the phone and see what happens for yourself!

Until next time,
Paulette - noticing how the old becomes new again

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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www.tipsbooklets.com
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Booklet Benefits

What's the benefit of your booklet to the recipient? That seems like a simple question, yet one that many booklet authors never consider. It does get somewhat complicated, too, when your buyer is a corporation or association or website rather than the end-user.

So let's back up here for a moment. You write your booklet because you have information to share, whether from your professional life or personal life. You write your booklet because you want it to market your business and/or to bring in new revenue directly by selling it. Okay, so those are the benefits to you, the author.

Back to the benefits to the recipient. The large-quantity buyer and the end-user do have some similarities in how the booklet benefits them, or rather CAN benefit them. It will make their life more, better, or different in some way. The booklet can make the large-quantity buyer's life better as a vehicle to help them sell more of their own product or get their own word out there further. The booklet can make the end-user's life better by bringing new knowledge to them that will enhance their life.

It is ALL about the benefits of your booklet. Keep that in mind when talking with anyone and you are very likely to benefit by selling a whole lot more booklets.

Until next time,
Paulette - bringing good stuff to better serve people

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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www.tipsbooklets.com
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Booklets - Small Size, Huge Impact on Business

Many people have some level of interest in booklets. The interest level goes from ambivalence to over-the-top enthusiasm, and everything in between. The part that is often overlooked is the direct impact the booklets have on your business and on your clients' business. You'll be seeing more emphasis on this in weeks to come because that's really what this booklet phenom is all about and it's time to reinforce that.

So, for your business, the impact on your bottom line is both direct and indirect. Here's a few thoughts to jog your imagination some.

Direct

• Sell booklets, one at a time, to people who hear you speak or want to know more about your business.
• Sell booklets, many at a time, to companies who want to use them to promote their business.
• Sell booklets, many at a time, to associations who want to use them as a member benefit or as an income generation for their group.
• Sell rights to websites to use your booklet to drive more traffic and sales to their site.
• Sell rights to companies, associations, and websites to have a different language version to use as a promotional tool.
  

Indirect

• Position yourself as an expert so people will want to hire you as a speaker, trainer, consultant.
• Help yourself build a platform for future sales of your products and/or services.
• Allow you to donate a product for general publicity and good will.

Writing a booklet is the easy part of this, even if you view yourself as a non-writer. There are formulas to follow that make it do-able for even the most writing-challenged booklet author.

The most important part of this is not the size of the finished product or the small amount of time it took to write the booklet (compared to a book) or the small financial investment to get the booklet produced. The most important part is the impact the product has on your business' bottom line. That is huge.

Until next time,
Paulette - reminding you that small booklets have a huge impact on your bottom line

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Booklets - Now More Than Ever

As companies and associations realize the importance of "staying out there" with their marketing, booklets and the contents of the booklets are the perfect match to use as marketing tools. While many organizations have used books (ala 200-250 pages) in the past as premiums and incentives to prompt sales, tips booklets are a better solution than ever because:

• They cost less than books
• It's a faster read of valuable information than books
• The content is easy to slice and dice into other formats, especially for digital delivery

Look at the associations, companies, and websites you think would be ideal matches for your content and talk to the folks who will find your booklet(s) and your content to be the ideal solution for them, right now and in the future.

Until next time,
Paulette - passing along what I know to be true

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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Booklets, Books, and Bookstores - NOT

The traditional publishing model has been ailing for decades. You know, the one where you have a great idea for a book, find an agent, the agent shops the book around to traditional publishers, a publisher offers you an advance payment against future royalties so you can live while you write your book, the publication is at least a year away, the publisher prints and distributes the book to bookstores, the bookstores keep small quantities of your book on the shelf for a limited amount of time, they return the ones that didn't sell (which are most of them, in unresalable condition), and you make no money. Oh, and you also got to plan and deliver most of the publicity about the book yourself.

Yes, that publishing model.

In fact, most of the components of that process are now dead or at least drastically modified. Yet many authors continue approaching publishing expecting it to be as it was decades ago, sick then and sicker now.

It makes no sense to me. Does it make any sense to you?

The authors and publishers who are flourishing now are doing it all differently. They are selling their books and booklets and other formats of their content to non-bookstore markets -- to corporations, associations, the military, gift stores, websites, and just about anything BUT bookstores. And they sell them in very large quantities for use as a promotional item and/or to distribute to their employees or other constituents. They are making them available as downloads so people can have the content instantly anywhere in the world.

Next time you have even the most fleeting thought of a bookstore, ask yourself why. And then think about the thousands and thousands of other places and ways to bring your knowledge to those who want it.

Until next time,
Paulette - encouraging bigger thinking

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Booklet Affiliates Promote Without Own Website

An email arrived today from a tipsbooklets.com enthusiast asking how to promote an affiliate link to our site(s) without having her own website. It occurred to me that whether my affiliates have their own website or not, there are many ways to distribute an affiliate link anyway, ideas that may be useful to you in expanding your overall reach and bottom line.

So here are some places, in no particular order, to circulate that link so you get exposure and make money in the process, whether you have your own products or website, or not. You may want to use free services like www.tinyurl.com or www.budurl.com or www.snipurl.com to shorten the link as well as to "cloak" it so people won't cut off the affiliate identification and go directly to the site, leaving you out of the loop.

1. Twitter.com - as a recommendation to a resource you suggest
2. Facebook.com - also as a recommendation to a resource you suggest
3. EzineArticles.com - write your own article, including the affiliate link in the resource box at the end, or grab one of my many articles from that site and replace your affiliate link where my URL is. Just be sure you keep my name and copyright as the author of my articles!
   
4. SelfGrowth.com - same idea as EzineArticles.com
5. Signature file of your outgoing emails
6. Your blog or responses on other people's blogs/discussion forums - be careful about their rules. Some places prohibit affiliate links and others don't care.

These are specific suggestions that are also intended to get you thinking. Obviously there are many more social networking sites and article directory sites than those listed here.

Thanks to the person who posed the question today. It makes the point that it's now more possible than ever to do tons of promotion and sales with minimal cost of time or money. I'm very much looking forward to sending out commission payments to any and all who earn them.

If you're not an affiliate of my company yet, you can remedy that immediately by going to
http://www.tipsbooklets.com/?page=become_an_affiliate_of_tpi.html and signing up now.

Until next time,
Paulette - grateful to be reminded of some basics that can be easy to overlook

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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To Every 3rd Grader, 4th Graders Are Gods

When the title of this blog post showed up in the report of a conference Allison Nazarian sent out, it stopped me in my tracks. It really does speak volumes, doesn't it? It puts it into a very real context, too. And it's especially meaningful in the world of tips booklets. Lots and lots of booklet (and book!) authors undervalue their knowledge and experiences. It's almost a daily event, in fact.

The truth is that there are many, many people who don't know what you know. They may know pieces of what you know. They may think they know what you know. Think about the article you read or the conference or teleclass you attended or conversation you had -- any of which provided a single pearl of an idea or a perspective or a piece of information you just didn't have that you found very useful. It may or may not have been rocket science, and doesn't much matter as long as you found it useful.

Yes, your knowledge is valuable. I'll be sharing my own knowledge as part of a teleclass series you'll want to attend, which already started this week. You can find all the details by clicking here.

There are a lot of 3rd graders roaming around, wanting what you, the 4th grader has!

Until next time,
Paulette - glad to be a 4th grader again

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Joint Ventures - The Year of Interdependence

What companies are likely to be good joint venture partners for you? Yes, selling your booklets and other info products in bulk to large companies to use as a promotional tool could be viewed as a joint venture of sorts. What about a company that would promote what you have on some kind of commission basis? That's what affiliate programs are. If you are a subscriber to Booklet Tips from Paulette - the Ezine, you saw a joint venture offer last week. Jeff Herring, The Internet Article Guy, is one of many people who has products and services that are ideal for booklet authors. The same is true in reverse. I've got a lot of products and services that are ideal for Jeff's article writing clients.

In case you missed the offer for an excellent product Jeff has, you can find it right here http://tinyurl.com/c5ngo8 Quite a few subscribers did invest in it. I've now expanded Jeff's reach to my audience, and he has done and will be doing the same in introducing me again this year to his folks. I did a teleclass for his audience last year. Everyone benefits.

I am careful about the people and products I present to my world. The products and services must make sense to my logic as something potentially useful for you. And I certainly am careful about the people with whom I "do deals." Most people whose products and services I present are people I've known for a long time. Their reputation is solid in all ways. They put out good and relevant stuff, and they are high integrity in dealing with them.

Who is in your world to do business with in this way? Many people actually base their entire business on joint ventures and affiliate deals. You will be seeing more of these this year at www.tipsbooklets.com and www.PublishingProsperity.com Some resources will be perfect for you. Others not so much. This is an easy way to expand your business and your revenue. Take a look at who is ideal for such possibilities.

Until next time,
Paulette - bringing you the best I can find

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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Paint Word Pictures in Tips Booklets

Several reminders lately of the importance of giving the client, reader, audience member the *experience* -- the benefits, not the features. For instance, when you're car breaks down on the road and you get towed to the garage, you really don't care that the mechanic will use a particular size wrench, turned three twists, carefully removing the widget that's connected to the ... Uh, you get the idea. All you care about is how soon can the mechanic get you back on the road, and what will it cost you.

Even with writing a tip, yes, I suggest after telling the person what to do, that you add 1 or 2 sentences explaining "why" or "how." It's been effective to see some booklet authors naturally go that extra mile, even within the formula structure, in mentioning the experience the reader is likely to have: "Move things one or two inches closer to you on your desk. You will save time and have less stress throughout your day." In those few short words, there is a direct instruction, followed by describing the probable outcome, without any reference to the muscles used in moving those things closer.

In many cases (though definitely not all), the number of pages in your booklet, the dimensions of it, the number of ink colors, the font size, the number and type of graphics, the kind of paper -- these don't matter. What matters is how your booklet will make someone's life more, better, or different.

Until next time,
Paulette - sharing the reminder to focus on benefits rather than features

www.CollectionOfExperts.com
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